Real Madrid has plenty of reasons to be proud of its 2016-17 campaign, even if it ultimately fell short of its biggest goal. Madrid finished first in the new-look, round-robin Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season with a 23-7 record. It put a firm grip on the top spot with a nine-game winning streak that started in late December and lasted through February. Along the way, Luka Doncic showed his talent with his second of what would be four MVP of the Round honors. Los Blancos then won their last four games of the regular season – including against the eventual finalists (Olympiacos Piraeus and Fenerbahce Istanbul) and another playoff team (Anadolu Efes Istanbul), to set up a clash against Darussafaka Dogus Istanbul in the playoffs. Darussafaka surprised Madrid in the Spanish capital in Game 2, but Doncic and Gustavo Ayon shined in the two games in Istanbul to deliver a series win in four games. Madrid’s EuroLeague season ended on a downer as Fenerbahce won their semifinals clash at the Final Four. Nevertheless, Sergio Llull was chosen as the EuroLeague MVP for the first time in his career. Madrid was equally competitive at home and won its fourth consecutive Spanish Copa del Rey title and was first at the end of the Spanish League regular season. However Valencia Basket was too great an obstacle in the finals and with three consecutive wins bested Madrid 3-1 to claim its first-ever Spanish League title.

EuroCup

For more than half a century, Madrid has been a reference in European basketball as it has accumulated a record nine continental titles. Its untouchable cache of 33 domestic league and 27 cup trophies says plenty about its status in Spanish basketball. Moreover, almost every time that Madrid has not played in Europe's top competition, it won a different continental trophy; its trophy case boasts four Saporta Cups, a Korac Cup and a ULEB Cup between 1984 and 2007 – all as stepping-stones back to the big time. Great players like Emiliano Rodriguez, Clifford Luyk, Wayne Brabender, Walter Szczerbiak, Juan Antonio Corbalan, Drazen Petrovic, Arvydas Sabonis, Dejan Bodiroga and Sergio Llull have turned Real Madrid into one of the most-celebrated basketball clubs in the world. Madrid won four EuroLeague titles between 1964 and 1968 to establish itself as a juggernaut and added more titles in 1974, 1978 and 1980. Even though it took the club 15 years to win it again, Madrid found success in other European competitions, too; it lifted the Saporta Cup trophy in 1984, 1989, 1992 and 1997 as well as the Korac Cup in 1988. With Sabonis aboard, Madrid won its eighth EuroLeague title in 1995 by beating Olympiacos in the final. In 2007, Louis Bullock and Felipe Reyes helped Madrid to a new trophy, the ULEB Cup, and the Spanish League crown for the 30th time by besting Barcelona 3-1 in the finals. Madrid returned to the Final Four in 2011 and, with Pablo Laso as head coach, went all the way to the EuroLeague championship game in 2013 and 2014, but lost to Olympiacos Piraeus and Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv, respectively. Madrid was loyal to its fast-paced, fun-to-watch basketball and gained the experience and toughness required to be almost unbeatable in decisive games in the 2014-15 season, which was arguably the best ever for Los Blancos. Madrid finally went all the way by downing Olympiacos 78-59 to claim its ninth continental crown and its first since 1995. Andres Nocioni was chosen as the Final Four MVP and Reyes was an All-Euroleague First Team selection, while Sergio Rodriguez, Llull, Jaycee Carroll, Gustavo Ayon and Rudy Fernandez all played major roles during the season, too. Coach Laso's team also lifted the Copa del Rey and the Spanish League trophies to conquer Los Blancos’ first Triple Crown since 1974. In the 2015-16 season, Madrid conquered the Spanish double – league and cup titles – and added an Intercontinental Cup trophy for the first time since 1981. Last season, Madrid won its fourth consecutive Copa del Rey title and went back to the EuroLeague Final Four before losing to Fenerbahce Istanbul. Its goal remains the same: fight for every title available to be loyal to its great tradition.